Eighth Pay Commission
8th Pay Commission: As soon as the new year begins, discussions regarding the 8th Pay Commission have become heated among central employees and pensioners across the country. From government offices to employee organizations, there is only one question on everyone’s lips – when will the increased salary come into the bank account? Along with this, there is confusion regarding arrears also. Will the old outstanding money be received at once or will the government give it in instalments? The latest equations being created regarding the Eighth Pay Commission have brought both relief and concern for the employees. Let us understand, based on the opinion of experts and the existing rules, what changes can be seen in your salary slip in the coming days.
When will the increased salary come to the account?
The information shared on this issue by Dr. Manjeet Patel, National President of All India NPS Employees Federation, is very important. If we look at the rules, the Eighth Pay Commission is due from January 1, 2026, that is, technically the rights of the employees become from this date.
However, the government process takes time. The government has given the Pay Commission about 18 months to prepare and submit its report. Even after the report comes, the administrative process of Cabinet approval and its implementation may take another 6 months. In such a situation, if everything happens on time, then the increased salary is expected to be in the hands of the employees by January 2028. At the same time, if the government shows political will, then good news can be received in July 2027 also.
Arrear money, in installments or lump sum?
Delay in implementation of Pay Commission means that the mathematics of arrears will be huge. There is a doubt in the minds of the employees that the arrears will not be received in installments? Clearing this doubt, Dr. Manjeet Patel said that in the history of the Central Government, the payment of arrears has generally been made in lump sum.
Since the Eighth Pay Commission will be considered effective from January 1, 2026, the arrears will also be calculated from this date. Even if the decision comes in 2027 or 2028, the arrears will be paid from the old date only. The matter of relief is that there is every possibility that the employees will get this money all at once and not in pieces.
Employees will suffer losses due to delay
It sounds good to get the arrears money in one go, but in reality, due to the delay in formation and implementation of the commission, the employees are suffering huge financial losses. If the commission had been implemented on time, the employees would have also started receiving the increased House Rent Allowance (HRA) and Transport Allowance (TA) on time.
According to experts’ assessment, arrears of HRA and TA are generally not paid retrospectively. This simply means that a Level-8 officer may face a penalty of around Rs 3.5 to 4 lakh due to this delay. Apart from this, Dearness Allowance (DA) has already crossed the 50 per cent mark, which should have been merged into the basic salary as per the rules. Due to this not happening, employees have been getting less than their actual entitled salary for the last two years.
Also read- Big update on EPFO, Supreme Court gave this order to the government to increase the salary.